Improvement in wheat-cleaning machines



J. GAW. WHEAT CLEANING MACHINE.

No. 42,725. Patented May 10, 1864.

Mizzeases.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

JOHN GAW, OF ELLIGOTTS MILLS, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND HENRY P. CHANDLER.

IMPROVEMENT IN WHEAT-CLEANING MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 42.725, dated May 10, 1864.

.To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN GAW, of Ellicotts Mills, in the county of Howard and State of Maryland, have invented an Improved Wheat- Oleaning Machine; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full and correct description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is a vertical central section of the machine, and Fig. 2 is a horizontal section through the line :0 a: of Fig. 1.

The same letter indicates the same part in both figures.

The nature of my invention consists in providing a wheat-cleaning machine (commonly called a smut-machine) with a strong upward current of air passin g through the interior of the beater-cylinder, in addition to the current heretofore employed in the annularbr cylin drical chamber, outside of that in which the heaters act, thus greatly increasing the rapidity of the discharge of the dust and impurities separated from the grain by the heaters, all as hereinafter more particularly set forth.

To enable others to make and use my improved machine, I will p'roceed to describe its construction and operation, referring to the drawings, on which- A marks the base on which the machine is supported; B, a bracket attached to the bottom of the machine by the bolts a, and supporting the lower end of the main shaft 0.

b is a shield or thimble, which protects the lower journal of shaftG from the entrance of dust and dirt.

D is the outer case or cylinder, which rests upon the flange of the concave bottom piece, U, and supports at top the circular fan-chamber L. This case is bound round and supported at top and bottom by hoops, having lugs S S, united by a screw-bolt, as clearly shown in- Fig. 2. Inside of the outer case, 1), is the annular chamber E, open at top and bottom, communicating at top with the fan-- chamber L. The chamber E is separated from the beater-chamber by the corrugated cylinder F, which is provided with numer= ous long and narrow vertical slots for the passage of air and dust from the beater-v chamber to chamber E. The corrugated cylinder F F incloses the chambers in which the heaters G operate upon the grain.

This chamber is opened at bottom and closed at the top. Up through its center passes the ,main shaft 0, to which are attached the fans ing-disk in the middle, by means of which it,

is fixed to the central shaft, 0, by stout naves or hubs. The heads and disk are perforated by large openings R for the passage of air, and these openings in the lower head are covered by a wire screen to prevent the grain from being carried up bythe air-current. The upper end of cylinder J is covered by a bellshaped funnel, K, which passes up through the top plate of the beater-ch amber and opens into the fan-chamber L. The fan-chamber is circular in form, and has a tangential spout or exit, M, through which a rapid current of air is driven when the fans are in motion.

N marks the spout through which the grain to be operated on'is introduced into the beatercylinder. A gallows, O, on top of the machine supports the adjustable pivot I, on which the upper end of shaft 0 plays. Itis fixed at any desired position by the set-screw Q. To the upper end of shaft (1 a pulley (not shown) is attached, for the purpose of receiving a band from any suitable moving power. H

The operation is as follows: Motion being imparted to shaft 0, the fans H and I cooperate to produce a very strong upward current of air through the chamber E and cylinder J and out at the spout M, said currents being indicated by the blue arrows in the drawings. The course of the grain is indicated by the red arrows. It enters the beater-chamber through spout N, and is there thoroughly operated on. by the heaters, which break up the smutand cleanse the grain from dust and of dirt. The grain falls, together with a portion the dust, through the open bot-tom ofthebeaterchamber, when it encounters the upward aircurrent. This current carries up the dust throughchamber E and cylinder J into the fan-chamber L, whence it is driven out of the spout M. The grain, obeying gravity, falls into and through the concave bottom U of the machine. Should the current be strong enough to carry up a portion of the grain, a wire screen with meshes of proper size will prevent the grain from rising without impeding the passage of the' dust. A considerable portion of the dust passes directly from the beater-chamber to the chamberE through the slots in the corrugated cylinder F.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination of the beater-cylinder J, constructed with openings at top and bottom for the passage of an upward current of air, with the bell-shaped funnel K, for concentrating the draft and directing the air-current, as described.

The above specification of my said invention signed and witnessed, at Washington, this 3d day of December, A. D. 1863.

. JOHN GAW. Witnesses:

H. P. GHANDLEE, CHAS. F. STANSBURY; 

